A Thousand Paper Cranes 2
by Reiko Anne Nguyen
Summary: Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the love and support of his loyal girlfriend. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be so innocent.
1. Haunted Memories

**A Thousand Paper Cranes **  
By Delilah Anne Marie_  
2009, February 27_

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 1: Haunted Memories**

_1970, California_

Benny stood up from his resting position and observed his old bedroom. It was the first time he had really taken a look at it since he came home. In the eerie darkness of the room, he could see the furniture, which was almost as old as he was, covered with a thick layer of dust. Everything from the books and trophies on the shelf to the bobble heads and action figures on top of his cabinet showed signs of being untouched. Benny walked across the room and lightly patted the tan colored wallpaper, which had started peeling like the Babe Ruth posters on his walls. The wooden floor, which had once provided extra space, was now cluttered with piled boxes, stacked chairs, and many other random objects from the previous decade that Benny's mother couldn't quite fit into the attic. He thought the room looked sad and lonely as if it mockingly reflected his own set of emotions.

Benny slowly turned and faced the balcony from where the summer heat entered. The transparent curtain had flown higher, revealing the white painted house next door. _Her house_. The trees began swaying with the breeze. The wind chimes that hung from her iron balustrade began to play its haunting tune. The translucent curtain steadily rose even higher, as if beckoning him to come forward. Unconsciously, he took a step forward and walked towards the moonlight. Standing on the balcony he tilted his head and let the rain cool his face.

He had come out here many times in the past with the optimistic thought of seeing her. At the moment, however, it was not enough to sway his bleak sorrow. He didn't expect her to come out of her room and step onto the balcony tonight. Or any other night. He didn't expect her to greet him with her warm smile, nor did he expect her to climb over and ask where he had been. Regardless, that didn't stop him from imagining her company. She had gone years ago, but his memories of her still haunted the town. Everywhere he went he saw her, just as vivid and just as lively. There were times when he'd sit on the front porch alone, but would imagine her sitting next to him while she strummed the strings of her father's guitar. He'd see her playing tennis at the school court whenever he drove by, in his mother's office borrowing the typewriter for a school news column, at the diner serving milkshakes. He saw her right now, facing him while she rested her arms on the iron rails of her balcony. But instead of giving him a familiar smile, her face was cheerless, her eyes almost glaring. There was a feature of accusation in the way he saw her looking at him. It was almost unbearable.

The valley held too many memories of her, but he always seemed to return. And he always visited her home. And he always remembered her. His mind, of course, never failed to remind him that she was gone, and that he could do himself a favor if he just moved on. But his heart refused to forget. Why he would put himself through this misery, he didn't know. Maybe it was a cruel trick of the heart for all those times he neglected it. For all those times he neglected her. In all honesty, he left town to forget. His attempt was obviously futile, and Benny acknowledged this as he began to reminisce about the year he had lost almost everything significant in his life.

_1965, San Fernando Valley_

The year was 1965—the year Casey Stengel of the Brooklyn Dodgers retired after sixty-five years of baseball. The sun hung high above the ground, indicating noon had approached. Benny stepped up to the plate as the crowd on the wooden bleachers cheered insanely. Banners that bore his name were waved as fans chanted his name over and over, and the school colors of black and gold emerged in the forms of pom-poms and cardboard signs. Benny's uniform, which was no longer white, was stained from numerous slides. His hair, which was naturally black, was now powdered with dust and dirt. Regardless of his unsatisfactory appearance, Benny's disposition on the outside was cool and concentrated as ever. On the inside, he was bursting with both joy and anxiety. This is what he was made to live for. Not for the fame and the glory, but for baseball and all its excitement.

"On a normal basis, only eight and a half innings are required to determine a winner," a deep western accent announced through the intercom. "But both teams have been scoring ties since! We are now at the tenth inning, ladies and gentlemen, and our own Benny the Jet has stepped up to the plate. One run is all that is needed to win this game, folks! Just _one_ run. Think the Jet can pull it off? I think so."

Time stood still as the pitcher stood on his mound, his expression determined. Benny challenged that determination by taking his stance and positioning himself for a swing. In a couple of swift movements, the ball was speeding towards Benny and, upon impact, a portion of the bat split before it was dropped to the ground. The crowd erupted into wild and enthusiastic ovation as the ball soared across the field.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what did I tell ya?" The intercom boomed. "Looks like The Jet's taking home! And there he goes! First base!"

Benny's heart stopped as he cleared the first two bases. He had lost count of how many homeruns he'd pulled off throughout the years, but he knew it was plenty. The school had humorously dubbed him "The Homerun Daddy" in his freshman year. It was a nickname that didn't quite stick as well as "The Jet." Yet, regardless of how many games his homeruns have won the team, they were never as easy to pull off as the audience assumed. Benny always grew nervous as he rounded basis. There was a first time for everything, and he hoped striking out wasn't one of those firsts. He always carried the burden of anxiety. It wasn't that he didn't want to tarnish his Godly reputation as one of the best baseball players in the state. On the contrary, the attention and expectations from fans did not pressure him at all. It was the fact that he never really knew where he would stand in baseball history. Although he would be gaining fame by entering the league, he'd be doing it for the excitement it would fill him. Never again would he try to make baseball his life. He had learned in his freshman year that baseball wasn't everything.

"And there he goes passing the third base," the intercom informed. "And, yes, YES! HOME RUN! What an easy win, ladies and gents! San Fernando High School wins their first game of the season! Whoohoo!"

Benny was immediately relieved of his temporary anxiety and was greeted with a mob of team mates and fans that habitually carried him on their shoulders and continually chanted "tigers." Yes, this is one of the things what he lived for. Baseball. Everyone knew he was going to move on to bigger, better things.

The bleachers were now emptying as the crowd began returning home from the game. It was the first game Benny's team played for the season, and there were many more to go. School had just started and, in Benny's senior year, baseball scholarships were rushing to him wildly. It was his ticket out of town to do what he loved for the rest of his life. There was nothing else he wanted to do.

Benny had showered and exited the locker room thirty minutes after the game. He looked around the field and leaned against the fence. There were still a couple of teens playing baseball. Some loitered on the grassy turf while others conversed on the bleachers. The sun was beginning to set, giving the sky a beautiful colored mix of yellow, orange, purple, and blue. The breeze was welcoming to Benny as it ruffled his hair. Wearing his letterman jacket and carrying his baseball bag, Benny began walking across the field when two girls approached him.

"Benny! Benny Rodriguez!" One of them called out. She was short and timid with strawberry blonde hair and amazing blue eyes. She smiled when Benny acknowledged her with a polite nod. Her friend, who Benny recognized was a freshman on the girls' new softball team, pulled out a letter from her messenger bag. Benny blushed slightly before regaining his composure and giving a playful response.

"Say, this wouldn't happen to be a love letter, would it?" The girls blushed and giggled as he gave them one of his naturally striking smiles. Stuttering, they confirmed his guess and mentally slapped themselves for falling apart in front of such a handsome boy. Benny, who had received enough of these letters to last him a life time, had tried dealing with them without emotionally hurting anyone. In his case, physically.

"I'm sorry. You girls seem really nice," Benny began as their giddy expressions faltered. "And cute," he added in an attempt to relief them somewhat. "But," Benny paused and looked at the ground, feeling somewhat guilty for trying to produce a false reason.

Then, feeling a pair of eyes watching him, he looked over the girls' heads and saw the slim figure of a girl emerge from the entrance of the small stadium not too far away. She stopped walking and met Benny's gaze as she nudged the strap of her bag up her shoulder. She brushed off the swirling dark locks from her brown eyes and, after realizing he was smiling at her, she smiled back at Benny.

Without taking his eyes off her, Benny finished with a much more truthful response. "But my heart belongs to someone else."

The autumn sky began to lose its warm, magical hue as nightfall began to settle. While Benny walked home next to Janie after the baseball game, he watched the multitude of colored leaves follow them down the green meadow. They used to ride their bikes to school every day, but found it a hassle to carry them up the grassy, bumpy valleys.

"Darn wind," Janie mumbled in annoyance as she tried to keep her skirt from flying up. "The weather's been so bizarre this year. Never mind the fact that the weather man's actually been right during the past couple of months. But it's never consistent! One minute it's scorching hot, the next, it's pouring rain. I'm just glad it didn't shower during the game."

Benny stepped across a small ditch and offered his hand to Janie. "I wasn't too worried about that. In the words of Scotty Smalls, I can play baseball through rain, shine, tidal wave…whatever." Janie took his hand gratefully as she stepped down across the gap.

"Agreed. But I was more concerned about whether I took good shots or not." Benny rolled his eyes. During winter break of their junior year, Janie's maternal grandmother visited from Hawaii and, upon Christmas day, presented her with a very pricey Canon 7s. Once school resumed, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper assigned Janie to almost every school function with the purpose of taking memorable pictures. As the new editor-in-chief this year, Janie took up the task herself rather than assigning amateur reporters. _I gotta make sure it's done right_, Janie would always say.

"Perfectionist," Benny snorted. "Never pleased."

"You mean 'never satisfied.' It sounds better." Janie put in knowingly.

"See what I mean?" Benny gave her an amused expression. "I don't know how the junior reporters at the school tolerate you, but you have got to be the most anal editor-in-chief they've ever had. It's a good thing you have a knight in shining armor who tolerates you, huh?"

Janie snorted. "Don't flatter yourself. You're more like a knight in crusted armor to me!" The comment caused Benny to burst out laughing as he lunged towards her. Unfortunately for him, Janie dodged his hands as she began running down the green meadow.

Janie laughed and ran farther away from Benny, who stood in place and watched with adoration as she threw her hands up in the air and began spinning, completely uncaring of the way the wind disheveled her hair

"Why aren't you coming after me?" She yelled cheerfully across the meadow. "I just insulted you, Benny! Are you going to let me get away with that?" Benny continued to flash her a boyish smile as he pushed his hands inside his pockets.

"I'm giving you a head start, babe! It's what an honorable knight would do!"

"Silly! I don't need a head start! The Jet will always find me anyway, no matter where I am!"

"Good point," Benny said before he dropped his bag and instantly dashed towards Janie. He didn't have to chase her far, though, as he caught her around the waist with one strong arm and tightly pressed her against his chest.

"No! Stop!" Janie squealed as Benny began tickling her. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I give up!"

Benny continued to assault Janie's slim waist, obviously intent on ignoring her apology. "You have to do something for me first."

"Anything! I swear it, Benny!" Janie begged inbetween gasps of air. "Just let me go! Please!" Benny stopped his attack and wrapped his free arm round the upper part of her body, holding her closer to him as he pressed his lips against her bare shoulder.

"Kiss me."

"That's it?" Janie asked in relief as she turned to face him. "Goodness, do you really need to ask me to do _that_?"

Benny nodded. "Of course. It's the knightly thing to do, my lady. "

Janie giggled and turned around, allowing Benny to gather her in his arms again as they stood in the middle of the windy field. "I shall grant my dear knight his not-so noble request."

Janie tipped her head up and slowly shut her eyes, intent on letting her lips meet Benny's. But instead of a kiss on her lips, Janie felt a raindrop. They both looked towards the sky and watched as lightning illuminated the town before heavy showers fell to the ground.

Janie looked at Benny, who cursed at the heavens before shrugging off his varsity baseball jacket and covering Janie with it. He then took her hand, and the two of them began running across the meadow.

Benny and Janie stopped running when they had reached the sandlot, and were now standing under the shelter of the tree house. They were drenched, and yet the cold didn't seem to penetrate their skin.

At the moment, the sandlot was no longer a place for kids to play, as construction had replaced their childhood haven. In the summer of 1964, the town mayor had given permission for a local company to start building affordable homes in empty lots lining Washington Street. The sandlot, unfortunately, lied at the intersection of Washington and Arizona, and construction immediately commenced at the beginning of Benny and Janie's junior year.

Benny and the sandlot boys mourned for their loss, but quickly got over it as other significant events began to take place. Bertram had moved in Benny's freshman year of high school, and the boys hadn't heard of him since. The following year, Mr. Timmons found a new job in Colorado, and the family moved before construction could even begin. Like Bertram Tommy and Timmy hadn't been heard from since. Yeah-Yeah and Kenny, on the other hand, both moved to Texas and were lucky enough to live close to each other, as Chief McClennan and Reverand DeNunez were very close friends. Only Ham, Smalls, and Squints remained. Needless to say, the town had changed dramatically, and game nights between the adults were almost nonexistent.

Benny missed the rest of the boys very much, and was more than thankful that Janie had stayed in town. The Vietnam War was still waging, and Mr. Reynolds had volunteered himself back into the military after almost ten years of retirement from the Navy. He was now forty-years old, but the years had treated him well. Benny was glad Mr. Reynolds decided to leave the family in San Fernando, rather than sending them to live in Hawaii with Sue's parents.

"The sandlot looks terrible," Janie said quietly as she stood staring off at the remains of the sandlot. In the summer before senior year, construction had stopped. The war was beginning to affect the economy, and so the town decided to stop funding constructions in favor of donating to soldiers in Vietnam. At the moment, the sandlot was covered with random holes and mounds of dirt. Metal poles and wooden slabs lied around in stacks, while some were already constructed to frame the home that would have stood there.

Benny sat against the base of the tree as he watched Janie wring out the water from her white dress. He contemplated on whether or not to tease her about the transparency of her wet attire, but decided against it as he admired the way her dress clung to her thighs.

"I wonder. What do you think happened to the capsule?" Janie asked as continued to stare out at the lot. "Do you think it got dug out when they were making all these holes?"

Benny took his eyes off Janie and looked at where the pitcher's mound had once been. The large hole that now replaced it was almost as deep as the one he and the sandlot boys had dug up in the summer of '62.

"I don't know. I'll bet that it's in one of those piles of dirt, though, assuming that it was dug out during construction."

"I suppose. That makes it harder to find it then, if you and the boys do decide come back for it."

Benny shook his head as he remembered the promise he and the sandlot boys made. They dug up a time capsule to preserve the best summer of their lives, and then they made a pact to reunite one day so they could get it back. It was a significant symbol of not only his childhood, but some of the things that were important in his life.

"You think they'll come back?" Janie asked as she stepped into the rain.

Benny thought about the possibilities. Sure, they all planned on meeting again in the summer of 1967. Most of them would have already graduated. But then again, most of them would have moved on too. The sandlot would just be another fond, childhood memory.

"It seems less likely as time passes by," Benny responded as he pulled himself off of the ground and joined Janie under the rain. "But it wouldn't hurt to hope. Maybe someday, before we leave after graduation, we can look for the capsule by ourselves and save the boys the trouble of digging it back up."

"That's thoughtful of you," Janie mused as she recalled how much the boys despised that hole.

"Exactly. But for now until graduation, we have to live up senior year. I think we could start by celebrating my first victory with that kiss you owe me."

"Ooh, a kiss in the rain?" Janie drawled as she turned to wrap her arms around his neck. "That sounds like an excellent start." And then they kissed, sweetly and gently at first until their bodies melted against each other. Time froze as they shared their passion. It wasn't a significant moment, but to Benny, it was a place in time that belonged to them, and he would preserve it in his mind along with many other memories he shared with Janie. She was his best friend. His first love. His future. It was a lesson he learned long ago to love and take care of the people who meant most to him, and it was a lesson he promised Janie he would never forget.


	2. Proposal and a Wedding

**A Thousand Paper Cranes 2**  
By Delilah Anne Marie_  
2009, February 28_

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 2: Proposal and a Wedding**

John Adam Rodriguez, or Adam as he was simply called, had always been an ideal kind of guy. He was intelligent and often excelled in not only his studies, but in extracurricular activities as well. He went to San Fernando High School and became the captain of the football team, president of the student body, and even valedictorian of his graduating class. Adam was a good son, a good friend, and a good boyfriend to his girlfriend, Emma, of almost eight years. He was an all-around guy who believed in self-enrichment, and rarely ever let anxiety get to his head…until this very moment, that is.

Adam leaned back in his heavily embellished arm chair as he looked around at his surroundings. The circular room was small and, regardless of its exceedingly ornate style with crème colored walls, dark wooden panels, and matching crown moldings, it did nothing to soothe his nervousness. Feeling a little too warm, Adam let out a deep breath, completely unaware that he had been holding it for the past half-minute, and then he returned his attention to the object in his hands.

"It's just as beautiful as the last time I saw it," Adam whispered as he observed the silver ring inside the black velvet box. He turned it side to side, letting the light cast spectrums against the marquise-shaped diamond that graced the top. "It's simple. It's elegant. But it costs a fortune. Benny, are you sure you want to give this to her?"

"I'm sure," Benny said as he paced the small room in front of his brother. "I've never been sure of anything in my life, Adam."

"It's good you think that way, kid. But it's Grandma Rosie's ring! How'd you even manage to get a hold of it? You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Course not," Benny said as he thought about the lengths he took in order to obtain the family heirloom. "Mom didn't like the idea at first. She said Janie and I are too young to get married. But after I managed to convince her that I wouldn't marry Janie until we both got settled in the real world, she finally agreed. And then _she_ stole the ring from under Aunt Gail and Aunt Gretchen's noses."

"That sounds like something mom would do."

"Yeah. Wait till you hear how she cracked the safe open with nothing but a railroad spike."

"Definitely something mom would do," Adam mused as he thought of his beautiful, erratic mother.

"So do I have your approval, too?"

"Little brother, of course you do. But did you ask Janie's parents for _their_ blessing? I wouldn't want Mrs. Reynolds chasing you down the street with her samurai swords in her hands."

"No worries. They were a lot more accepting compared to mom and dad."

"Maybe they were scared that you would elope with Janie if they had said no," Adam joked. "Kind of like how they did when they were younger."

Benny chuckled as stopped pacing the floor. "Maybe, but I'd like to think they gave me their blessing out of happiness. Anyway, are you sure it's okay with you and Emma if I propose to Janie at your wedding? You guys wouldn't feel like I was stealing your thunder or anything, yeah?"

"Course not," Adam said as he waved his hand in the air. "Emma and I aren't too crazy for attention anyway. Had mom not gotten in the way of wedding plans, we would have had a tiny wedding in the backyard. Not in this massive church."

"Alright, thanks Adam," Benny said as he began pacing the floor again. "God, I'm so nervous!"

"If anyone is going to be nervous, it should be me," Adam pointed out as he stood up and brushed his tuxedo of nonexistent lint. "I'm the one getting shackled today."

The wedding nuptial lasted for a little over an hour, but felt much shorter as Benny performed his duties as best man. He sent the officiant's fee to the priest, signed the marriage license, and carried the wedding bands—along with Grandma Rosie's ring—until they were ready to be exchanged. Emma was the visual highlight of the wedding, as any joyful bride should be. She was a shy petite blonde Adam had met in the eighth grade and continued to date until their last year of law school. Personality wise, they were very different from each other, but they shared the same belief that people should work hard in everything they do. It was a belief Janie also had, and usually rubbed onto Benny every now and then.

The ceremony was sweet and tearful, but it helped motivate Benny into proposing rather than deepening his anxiety. He would do it today, he told himself. He'd ask Janie to marry him, and he only hoped she would say yes.

After the ceremony, Ham, Squints, and Smalls squeezed inside Benny's red Chevy truck and prepared for the twenty minute drive to Glendale. The large crowd at the church made it impossible to find Janie and her family, and so Benny figured he'd just meet her at the ocean boardwalk where the dinner party was being held.

Benny parked the truck and immediately parted ways with the boys, who all grudgingly promised their families they'd stay close—as the event was considered to be a family function. He walked down the wooden pathway that led towards an elevated timber structure with no walls, but wooden rails in its place. The white silk fabrics that hung in swags around the structure swayed with the wind, as if they wanted to dance to the music being played by the classical ensemble. Benny watched the candle sticks on top of the tables being lit, as sunset was finally starting to cast a lovely, orange hue across the sky to contrast against the dark blue ocean. It was a simple dinner party that did not take much to plan, but there was an atmosphere of timeless elegance that could be felt. It was an aura that reminded Benny of Janie, and he saw this as a sign that his proposal would be successful.

Benny made time to see Janie once before she returned to her family, and the dinner party commenced. Benny gave his best man's speech, which earned a few laughs here and there as he revealed some of Adam's most embarrassing life stories. He ended it sweetly, however, by wishing his brother and his new sister-in-law a happy beginning, and then leaving them to have their first dance before finally joining Janie.

"That was a wonderful speech, baby," Janie said as she stood up from her empty table to hug Benny. "I told you it would turn out fine." Benny returned the hug and gave her a brief kiss on the forehead before taking a seat across from her.

"Yeah, as long as I meant it from the heart, right?" Janie nodded her head cheerfully as she accepted the chocolate cake from the dark-haired waiter, who slyly winked at Benny before serving the next table. Benny smiled as he eyed the cake, making a mental note to thank the chef for managing to place his grandmother's ring into Janie's dessert. It was, in his opinion, a very interesting way to propose.

"So, Janie," Benny began as she took her first bite of the cake. "Do you ever think about how the man of your dreams would propose to you?"

She gave him a devious smile. "Sometimes. Why? Are you planning on proposing to me sometime?"

"Eheh, keep dreaming, baby," Benny lied. "But just for future references, I'd like to know." Janie put her fork on her lips as she thought hard. Then, a bright expression appeared on her face.

"Not to sound like a complete attention whore, but I would _love_ to be proposed to in public where friends and family can watch."

"Oh really," Benny said as he thought of how perfect things were going.

"Yes. I'd want to share the special moment with everyone I love," Janie said wistfully. "Oh! But I wouldn't want it to be something cheesy, like…finding the engagement ring in my dessert or anything like that."

"Say what?"

"I'm just saying. It proposes several problems, including the fact that I'd have to spit into my napkin just to get the ring back. Plus, it's a choking hazard. A guy would have to be really gutsy to pull something like that on the girl he loves."

Benny sat back in his seat and covered his mouth with his hand as he thought about Janie's words. On the outside, he seemed calm and cool, but his mind was completely flipped as he began freaking out.

"Janie, can I have some of your cake," Benny said a little too eagerly before she nodded her head and slid the plate to his side. In an instant, Benny grabbed the entire cake and shoved it in his mouth, hoping he'd be able to find his grandmother's ring.

"Benny! You pig! You didn't even leave any for me." Benny mustered an apology through his full mouth and continued to feel for ring. "You really can be immature sometimes. But that's okay. I still love you, you know."

"Mmhmm," Benny managed to mumur.

"And no matter how negligent you are when the dodgers are on TV, or how disgusting you can be when you purposely try to rip one next to me, or how you take advantage of your cute pouty face by making me do the dishes at your house, I really do still love you."

"Mmhmm mmhmm hmmmmmmmm."

"I'm just glad we made it this far, considering the fact that you were extremely dense when it came to how I felt about you in the past. If Lexi hadn't spilled the beans, I don't know what would have happened to our relationship."

The cake in Benny's mouth had already become soggy, and so it should have been easier to find the ring. But the more he nodded and murmured in response to Janie's words, the less he was able to locate it. It was when he was ready to just spit the whole thing out that a hand came from behind him and slapped his back, causing him to swallow the contents of his mouth.

"Hey little brother," Adam said joyfully as he continued to pat Benny's back. "Ooh, sorry. Didn't mean to make you choke. Here, drink some water." Benny pushed the drink away from Adam, hoping he could cough the ring back out. "Anyway, I just wanted to greet everybody before the taxi got here," Adam said as he snuck a glance at Janie's fingers, obviously meaning to find his grandmother's ring. "But I'm guessing you guys need more time to talk. Well, gotta go!" Adam quickly left before Janie could ask him what he had meant by his last comment, and so she settled by yelling her congratulation before turning her attention back to Benny.

"What was that about?" Benny slowly lifted his head up and looked at Janie with wide eyes and a somber expression. He had just swallowed his grandmother's antique wedding ring, and there was nothing he could say without giving anything away. He cringed as he tried to think of the ways he could get the ring back—the most practicable being extremely unfavorable, and then he looked up and frowned at God. _So, you think this is pretty funny, huh big guy?_

Just when Benny was about to excuse himself to the restroom—maybe he could try to vomit the contents of his stomach—he heard a joyful squeal emit from across the room. Benny and Janie turned their attention to Wendy Peffercorn, who sat across from her new boyfriend, Squints, with an ecstatic look on her face…and a chocolate-covered diamond ring in her hand.

"Yes! Yes!" Wendy began to cheer as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

Then they turned their interest to Squints, who looked extremely confused, if not a bit terrified, and suddenly Benny knew he wouldn't be digging through his feces any time soon. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry though, as both relief and disappointment filled him. He was relieved that the ring was safe, and that he had another chance of proposing to Janie. And yet he felt disappointed knowing his engagement plan failed.

"Oh, isn't that sweet!" Janie said longingly. "Squints proposed to Wendy!" Benny laughed nervously before digging his face into his hands. He felt guilty when he saw Squints' look of bewilderment and panic. It was a lose-lose situation, and yet Benny figured he would have taken to digging through his own crap so long as he wouldn't have to take away Wendy's current happiness. But he had to get the ring back.

"I think I'll go over to congratulate the future Mrs. Palledorous," Benny said as he stood up and hastily made his way to Wendy and Squints. This was possibly the worst proposal in San Fernando history.

Aside from the failed proposal to Janie and the awkward talk with Wendy and Squints, the rest of Adam and Emma's wedding was fairly pleasant for Benny. He had cleaned his grandmother's ring—after profusely apologizing to Wendy for the mix-up—and spent the rest of the night walking along the ocean shoreline with Janie.

Sundays were usually dedicated to family and God, and so Benny went to church with his mother and father on Sunday morning before having lunch at a restaurant down town. The Rodriguez' came back in the afternoon, allowing Benny to visit his neighbor across the street, Scotty Smalls.

At fourteen years old, Scotty was one of the smartest kids Benny had every known—academically speaking, that is. He had broken away from his shy shell when he had met the Sandlot boys in the summer of 1962, but still remained a bit naïve, if not a little gullible. Smalls was a good kid, and there was no other guy out there who could give emotional support as well as he did. Benny supposed that was the product of being raised by a single mother during most of one's childhood.

"Hey Benny, come on in," Smalls said as he opened the door and let his best friend inside the house. "Great wedding yesterday, by the way. My mom wanted to apologize for leaving so early, but Johnny was starting to get a little cranky."

"It's all good, Smalls. How is little Johnny, by the way?"

"He's at his terrible twos now, man. How do you think he is? Anyway, what brings you here?"

"I need help," Benny said casually as he took a seat in the living room.

"No surprise there. What's up?"

"I'm proposing to Janie." Smalls' eyes popped open as a wide smile graced his freckled face.

"No way! And you came here to tell me I'm going to be your best man, right? Right? Or not? Don't tell me it's Ham! I swear to God, Benny, if it's Ham, I'll scream for bloody murder."

"Calm down, Smalls," Benny said as he chuckled at his friends' mild hysteria. "I haven't picked out a best man yet."

"You should pick me then. I could throw a bachelor party! We could hire a magician, maybe a couple of balloon artists. OH! I could even get Bilbo the Clown to come over!"

"What—Smalls. A bachelor party is not the same as planning Johnny's second birthday."

"I know. Bilbo's not really a _kid's_ clown, you know. At least not with a name like that." Benny threw Smalls a mixed look of repugnance and bewilderment, but quickly changed his train of thoughts. Smalls was always known for saying the most incoherent things anyway, and his love for Benny confused and concerned many people.

"I'll keep all that in mind. But anyway, I really came here to ask for some suggestions on how to propose. You got any ideas?" Scotty looked up at the ceiling and began to think as he leaned back in his arm chair.

"Oh! I know! You should take her to a fancy restaurant! Yeah! Then, you can ask the chef to put the engagement ring in her dessert! That way, when Janie starts eating it, she can—Benny, what wrong? Why are you groaning?"

"I don't think that's a really good idea, Smalls," Benny mumbled as he recalled Janie's opinion on proposal ideas. "It's a choking hazard. No, I need something simple. Something that requires her family and friends to be there."

"You should do something that has a special meaning behind it."

"Exactly! But what?"

"Well, Janie likes ballet and tennis. And photography. And newspapers. Oh! Maybe you can put your proposal on an ad in the newspaper!"

"Nah. It's not even guaranteed she'll read that portion of the paper."

"Okay, maybe you can get the kids at her ballet class to hold big posters with letters on them. That way when they line up, their posters can spell 'Will You Marry Me.'"

"That's not bad. But it'd be kind of hard to coordinate with little kids." Smalls sighed as he tried to wrack his brain for more ideas.

"Well, since Janie likes to take photographs, maybe you can take her out for some picture-taking. Oh! And since Mr. Reynolds is a pilot, you can ask him to skywrite your proposal in the sky! That would be so cool!"

"That _would_ be cool. But it's too public. No, I need something with just family and friends."

"Oh for crying out loud, Benny! Why don't you just throw a family dinner and propose on the spot! Or better yet, get everyone to corner her into a room and have all of them propose for you! Golly!" Benny buried his face in his hands and muffled his shout. He wondered if this is what Adam had gone through when he was proposing to Emma.

"Seriously, though," Smalls said more calmly as he took pity on his friend. "Don't let it stress you out. You don't have to think of something _now_. Isn't it more cliché to propose to your girlfriend on prom night, or even graduation? That's months off!" Benny calmed down as he accepted Smalls' words. The kid was right. Even if he did propose to Janie, they probably wouldn't even get married until after college. Maybe even halfway if Benny decided to work instead.

"You're right, man. Sorry for bothering you like this."

"It's okay. You can always make it up to me by making me your best man."

Benny chuckled. "Fine. But I'm going to trust you to throw decent bash for me, alright? Bachelor parties never really enticed me, anyway."

Benny picked Janie up on Monday morning and drove her to school, as they always did since Benny had gotten his driver's license. And like they did every morning before going to school, they parked near an empty meadow and lingered in the truck. They wouldn't see each other until after their extracurricular activities, as Janie had more advanced classes on the other side of the school's campus and student body or newspaper staff meetings to attend to during lunch. The lack of time spent with Janie drove Benny insane at some points, and so he tried to shower her with as much attention as he could.

At the moment, Benny sat in the driver's seat of his truck. Shirtless. And with Janie's lips hovering over his as she straddled his hips. It was just one of those lucky mornings, Benny thought as he ran his calloused hands up her soft thighs.

She moaned under his alluring touch, subconsciously grasping fistfuls of his black hair as he continued to run his hands up her dress. He grasped her bottom and roughly pulled her closer him, loving the feel of her warm body pressed against his chest.

"Benny…" He heard her whimper and then arch her back as he jerked his hips up to meet hers, wishing he didn't have the barrier of their clothes to stop him from doing what he really wanted.

But that was as far as they could ever really get.

Benny gently pulled Janie from him, keeping his hazel eyes connected with her dark brown ones as he tried to recover from his ragged breathing. She laid a kiss on his forehead one last time before he took her in his arms and held her.

"God, I love you," he whispered before spouting more adoring words into her ear. The tenderness, he knew, drove her senses wild, and she returned her lips to him so they could continue another round of affection.

They had talked about it before. Everybody else was _doing it_, and so they decided they would too…when the time was right. Unfortunately, every time it seemed like they were getting close to making love, one of them would pull away, convinced it wasn't the right time. Benny and Janie didn't mind, for the most part. Being intimate wasn't the only thing that kept their relationship going, thanks to their long history and strong foundation as best friends.

Still, the sexual frustration was sometimes enough to dour Benny's mood. Even the slightest touch, like holding hands or having an arm accidentally graze against his, was enough to give him intimate thoughts. He had to have some self-control. There were times where he found himself going further than expected. If he didn't have the will he had now, certain things would have probably already happened. And as much as he wanted to do more, he didn't want Janie doing anything extreme while she was caught up in the moment.


	3. Girl in Green

**A Thousand Paper Cranes 2  
**By Delilah Anne Marie  
_2009, March 04_

**ALERT!: My homepage is up again! **I took it down temporarily so I could revamp it, but now it's up and running! Take a look at it for photos and character biographies!

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 3: Girl in Green**

Benny dropped Janie off at one side of the campus before heading off to gym class where his varsity baseball coach, Mr. Rose, also taught class.

"Alright, everybody settled down!" Coach Rose boomed as he entered the gym in his usual short shorts and one of the school's newest black cotton sweaters. He pulled out his silver whistle and began to polish, ready to use it for his first period class of intimidated victims.

"Let's take some roll call first before I send you all to your locker rooms. And then…we run the mile!" The class groaned as a sneer appeared on Coach Rose's face. It was when Benny walked passed him that his demeanor changed, and he suddenly became pleasant.

"Ah, Rodriguez!" He exclaimed as he began patting Benny's shoulder. "Good game on Friday, son."

"Thanks, coach. It was an easy win. Nothing impressive about that."

"Ah, that may be true, kid. But there was one _very_ important person who was, let's say, more than impressed by your skills." Benny shot Coach Rose a puzzled look before he felt a warm hand touch his other shoulder.

Benny turned around and came face to face with a tall and well-built gentleman in a black business suit with a forest green tie. It was a youthful contrast to his hair, which had already turned completely white.

"Rodriguez, this here is a really good friend of mine. His name is Alford Green, and he's got some pretty extensive connections with scouts from the Dodgers."

"The D-dodgers?" Benny stammered in disbelief as he shook Alford Green's hand. "Well then it's a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

"Pleasure to meet you too, Benjamin. But please, call me Mr. Green. I've been watching your games for the past three years now and, I must admit, you've got some impressive skills, son."

"Mr. Green here has actually promised me that he'd try and get you an interview with some of the scouts, if you're interested." Benny looked at Coach Rose, and then turned his attention back to Mr. Green, whose smile had become much wider at Benny's reaction.

"Is this for real?"

"This is very real," Mr. Green confirmed. "I don't usually help scouts find their boys, but when I saw you, I knew you were the real deal. Besides, I've been donating money to the Dodgers for years now. I don't think they'd mind taking a look at you at my request."

Benny couldn't believe his luck. As a younger kid, he had always dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. The fact that baseball revolved around his life, however, brought him trouble once, and he promised never again to let baseball get in the way of the things that meant most to him—including his family, friends, and Janie. But now, the fact that he was being given the opportunity to become what he dreamed of the most was coming true, and it would do more to help the people he loved rather than pushing them away. Yes, if he became a professional baseball player within the next year or two, he could do more than just marry Janie. He could earn enough to support them _and_ a family.

"So," Mr. Green said as he broke Benny's train of thoughts. "Are you interested in becoming a professional baseball player?"

"Yes! Of course," Benny replied eagerly.

With Coach Rose's permission, Benny was pulled out of gym class and spent the rest of the morning with Mr. Green, who proved to be an extremely likeable person. Too likeabale. If anything, Benny felt as if he were meeting Dylan Royce all over again. Dylan was, in all honesty, an intimidating figure who gave Benny the impression that he was smart and noble—at least moreso than the rest of the varsity baseball team members. But in the end, Dylan proved himself to be nothing but a selfish and conniving snot.

The situation with Mr. Green felt similar. The man was nice enough. He was polite, and often made clever remarks that made Benny laugh. But there was something strange about him—something Benny couldn't trust.

Regardless, Benny tried to enjoy his talk with Mr. Green, who treated him at a fancy restaurant. They talked freely about baseball before Mr. Green began setting up an appointment to meet again. There was to be a dine-out and dance in Los Angeles where, supposedly, figures in the baseball industry were going to attend. Mr. Green assured Benny that it was the perfect opportunity to meet some scouts.

At the moment, Benny wore the tuxedo from Adam's wedding. He sat in a black limousine, which had picked him up from his house around sunset, and excitedly waited to arrive at his destination. He had told his mother and father about his meeting with Mr. Green, but he made sure not to tell Janie about it for several reasons.

His first reason was that he didn't want her to worry. If anything, she was going to remind him about the incident in his freshman year when he had lied to his friends and disappointed his family, and all in the name of varsity baseball. It wasn't that Janie didn't like Benny's love for the game. She was, afterall, the one who introduced him to baseball. But because Janie was, well, Janie, Benny knew she would be a complete worry-wart. She would warn him not to "turn over to the dark side" again.

The second and most important reason he didn't want to tell her was because he wanted it to be a surprise. He had contemplated on the subject plenty of times. Going straight to pro over college baseball seemed more beneficial, as pro baseball players were paid more. And if pro baseball players were paid more, then of course they would stay on teams longer than college players.

So say he did hit it off with a couple of scouts? They'd have to see him at games, of course, and if they liked him, he would be guaranteed a spot on the Dodgers team. And if that happened, and if Janie accepted his proposal, then perhaps they could get married sooner than expected.

It was extremely far-fetched. Only about .5% of high school boys being drafted went straight to professional. But it didn't hurt to try, Benny figured.

"We've arrived, Mr. Rodriguez," the chauffer announced as he pulled up the limo. Benny looked through his tinted windows and suddenly felt intimidated by the grand sight in front of him. The light-colored stone building stretched high towards the night sky and seemed to disappear into the clouds. Unlike the other tall buildings, this one was covered with arched glass windows framed against tall marble columns.

Benny stepped out of the limousine and wiped his sweaty hands against his trousers. All around him were people. People in tuxedos, stylish waist coats, and grand gowns of multiple fabrics. He felt out of place, as if he were appearing at a school dance alone. Benny walked awkwardly down the red carpet, which was flanked by search lights that illuminated the outer walls, and he continued up the stone steps into the building.

Once Benny had given his name to the gentlemen in the entrance, he was permitted into the building where the party was in full swing. He found himself clumsily walking through the graceful crowd, unsure of where exactly to meet Mr. Green. He figured he'd take a stroll and try to find the man, but Benny found himself distracted by all the familiar faces. He saw Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale—two of the Dodgers' core members! Then he walked by Claude Osteen before painfully running into Maury Wills' back. It was the highlight of Benny's night so far.

Still, Benny felt extremely out of place, and his hopes of finding Mr. Green right away faltered. Unable to stand looking like a complete loner, Benny walked through the dance floor and towards the row of elevators, intent on entertaining himself by exploring. He learned from the plaque near the elevators that he was in an opera theater, and that the building reached up to fifty floors.

Benny reached the highest floor he could in about a minute. He had hoped he could enter the roof, but found that a key was needed to press the elevator button labeled "R." The elevator doors opened, revealing a dark room almost as big as the whole first floor of his house. It was cluttered with different shaped objects covered in white sheets, signifying that the room was currently not in use. There were three, large glass doors on the other side of the area. One of them had already been opened and was letting in a draft. Benny approached the door, entranced by the view it presented. The night sky was pure black. There were no stars and no moon, but the search lights from below casted enough light towards the top of the building. It seemed as if all of Los Angeles was awake, as Benny became astonished by the millions of lights spread across the earth. It was when he finally stepped out onto the balcony that a shape caught his peripheral vision.

Benny stopped in his tracks, realizing he was not alone. A girl in a forest green sheath stood in front of the stone railing not too far away from him. She looked so small and fragile with her thin figure. There was even an aura of vulnerability around her as long dark locks clung dully to her skeletal body.

Benny thought it was best he leave her alone. But when she suddenly slipped off her satin slippers and climbed onto the top of the stone ledge, Benny panicked and ran towards her.

"Stop!" He yelled, causing her to lose her balance in her surprise. As if in slow motion, Benny saw her body spin. Her foot had slipped, and she was now falling, her terrified eyes suddenly connecting to Benny's.

Luckily for her, Benny wasn't called "The Jet" for nothing. He reached her in the blink of an eye and had caught her arm. The action caused him to painfully bang his humerus against the edge of the stone railings. He felt his body nearly tip over the banister as the girl in green began to sway, but was able to steady himself as he held onto the baluster.

Hearing her whimper, Benny turned his attention back to the girl. Her large, brown orbs were wide with fear as a layer of unshed tears covered them.

"Here," Benny said as he led go of the baluster and offered his hand. "Grab it. I can pull you up without trouble if I have both your hands."

The girl shook her head before weakly crying. "No."

"Please," Benny whispered as he stared into her yes. "Please. I don't know why you'd want to do this. I won't try and be naïve by saying you can talk to me about your problems. But please, don't put me through this."

The girl only continued to look at him with frightened eyes.

"Please," Benny begged again. "Don't let me watch you die when there's something I can do about it. Give me your hand."

Despite the girl's light weight, Benny felt his strength weakening with each second she dangled. He felt her short silk gloves slipping off her hand, causing him to panic as she continued to stare at him. He wanted to shut his eyes and prepare himself for her fall, but he couldn't break eye contact with her now.

In his desperation, Benny used his strength and pushed himself to stretch forward. With his free hand, he grabbed her wrist and tightened his grasp, and then adjusted his other hand to grab her arm. With a stronger hold on her limb, Benny mustered the last of his strength to pull her up. He was only glad to see the girl use her free hand to clutch onto the edge of the stone ledge, making it easier for Benny to grab her waist and pull her body over the rails. Once her feet had made it to safety, Benny fell to the ground, causing the girl in green to collapse on top of him.

She stayed unmoving over his body, making Benny wonder if she had fainted. He hurriedly sat up and turned her over only to find that she had passed out. Her eyes were now shut, but it didn't stop the streams of tears that ran down her cheeks.

Benny held her in his arm and shook her. He was afraid that she'd die on him anyway, regardless of the fact that she was already out of harm's way.

"Miss. Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?" Benny continued to shake her gently and, moments later, she began to stir. She moaned slightly, and then nestled her head in Benny's chest. Feeling extremely relieved, Benny picked her small body up along with her slippers and carried her back inside the dark room. In the corner was a covered object Benny only hoped was a couch. He approached it and kicked the covers off, glad that his prediction was correct, and he lowered the girl into the heavily embellished red sofa. To his surprise, the girl refused to let go of the lapels of his coat, and Benny found himself awkwardly half-lying next to her.

"Don't go," she whimpered as she kept her eyes shut. Benny sighed in reluctance as he slowly tried to kneel on the floor without getting too far from her.

"Don't go," she said again.

"I won't go anywhere," Benny tried to assure her. "Just let go of me really quick, and then I'll hold your hand, alright?" The girl finally cracked her eyes open and stared at Benny, whose face was not too far from hers. She looked at her hands and began to release her clutch on his clothes.

Pulling away hastily before she could grab him again, Benny stood up and sat on the space next to her before holding her free hand. He was no psychologist, but he knew that if someone was in trouble, he had to give them as much help as he could.

"Thank you," the girl finally spoke in a soft, quiet voice. "Thank you for saving me."

Benny said nothing. He wasn't quite sure what was the proper thing to say in this situation. _Why, you're welcome. It was my pleasure to save you from trying to kill yourself._

"I know you must think I'm crazy. Jumping off the balcony like that. I'm not exactly the happiest person in the world, you know. But I guess that's no excuse, is it? I'm sorry for putting you through all that."

Benny only gave the girl a weak smile as she stared at him with hopeful eyes. "It's alright," He managed to say. "Just don't try anything like that again. You're still young. Wait till you've actually lived long enough to judge life, alright?"

"Alright," she said a little more optimistically. "I'll keep that in mind."

Silence filled the air as Benny began to relive the events of not too long ago. He had actually saved a person from death, not that it was on his wish list or anything like that. But it was an overwhelming occurrence that he knew he would never be able to forget. He was curious, though, to know why the girl ever thought about committing suicide, but knew better than to ask. It wasn't his business. Was it?

"What's your name?" The girl asked Benny, breaking his chain of thoughts.

"My name? I'm Benny. Benny Rodriguez."

"I'm Madison Green. But you can call me Maddy." Hearing her name caused Benny's head to snap up. He had completely forgotten about meeting Mr. Green. How much time had passed since he left the party downstairs, he wondered.

"I have to go," Benny said as he began to stand up. Madison, on the other hand, continued to hold onto Benny, unwilling to let it go.

"Wait! You said you wouldn't leave me," she began to panic. "Where are you going?" Benny immediately kneeled on the floor, hoping she wouldn't slip back into some form of depression again.

"I actually came here to meet a friend," Benny began to explain in a soothing voice. "He's trying to help me meet some baseball scouts. You see, it's really important that I try and get into the league. Without baseball, I don't know what else I could do with my life." Other than getting married to Janie and having children, that is. But he didn't feel he had to go in depth with his life goals and dreams.

"That's why I have to go find Alford Green. He planned on introducing me to some scouts tonight."

Madison popped up from her sitting position and smiled meekly. "Alford Green? Alford Green is my father!"

"You're serious?" Benny asked in relief, elation, and surprise. "Then you know where he is right now?"

"Of course! He brought me and my brother along, so I know where he's sitting in the VIP section. Come follow me." Without releasing Benny's hand, Madison stood up and slipped on her shoes before pulling him towards the elevator.

"Oh, but before I go bring you to him," she began urgently, "don't tell him what happened. Okay?"

Benny nodded his head in understanding. A smart person would have told someone, Benny thought. A smart person would have gotten help when it came to someone's life. But Benny had a feeling Madison had never truly intended to kill herself. After all, she had only fallen because he had frightened her. Who's to say she really would have jumped. But if she did…Benny didn't want to think of it anymore.

"You promise?" Madison asked, sounding as if she were going to cry if he said no. "You promise you won't tell my father what happened?"

Benny smiled at her. "I promise."

**Responses**

**Marshmalu: **Thanks for being my first reviewer! I'm surprised at myself for updating so quickly, too. But I figure it's because I actually prepared this time and wrote an outline for my story. So…writer's block will definitely not be an excuse for me to not post. :] Anyway, I'm still waiting for you to edit and post your story, "Sam Tyler Leslie." I'm interested in reading it again, and I've been waiting for your sequel, as well. I hope you haven't lost motivation, because your story was great!

**HeadstrongBlonde: **Ah, that's for the suggestion about those, erm, intimate one-shots. I'll definitely consider it, depending on how many people actually like my sequel. Thanks again for the review! :]


	4. Benny's Heroism

**A Thousand Paper Cranes 2**  
By Delilah Anne Marie

_2009, March 08_

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 4: Benny's Heroism**

"Hey baby," Benny greeted warmly as he enveloped Janie in a hug before planting a brief kiss on her forehead. "Not to sound like a complete pantywaist, but I missed you yesterday."

"I missed you too," Janie said as she took his hand and let him lead her to his truck. "I'm still curious as to where you went last night though."

"Don't worry," Benny said as he tried to hide his excitement. "I'll tell you all about it after the game."

He had it all planned out. After meeting with Mr. Green at the party last night, he had been introduced to a couple of scouts. Mr. Green was one of their wealthiest benefactors, and so they must have felt obligated to grant him his request.

"He's the real deal, gentlemen," Benny recalled Mr. Green saying. "Just come to one of his games. I assure that you won't be disappointed."

The pressure was on, regardless of how farfetched the situation seemed. But it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course he was going to try his hardest. Mr. Green made it clear that he was expecting big things.

"So," Benny said as he tried to keep himself from thinking of the baseball game that would be taking place after school. "What did I miss at dinner last night?"

"Nothing much," Janie replied while Benny started the engine. "Papa said he was thinking about buying us a dog."

"You mean a puppy."

"No. He wants a big ferocious dog, like Hercules. He figured since he was leaving for Vietnam after Christmas, we'd be needing some protecting." Despite Janie's cheerful tone, Benny couldn't help but detect a trace of fear behind her words. Her father had volunteered himself back into the military. That was three years ago. They thought the war would have ended by now, but it didn't look like it was coming to a halt anytime soon. Combat units were already being deployed, and as a former flight officer, Mr. Reynolds was going back to take his place.

Benny had asked Janie once why her father would volunteer himself back into the military. It wasn't uncommon, but Mr. Reynolds had family at home. Janie only said that, somewhere out there, her father was saving someone's mother the grief of having her son being drafted, but Benny knew that wasn't the real reason.

Suddenly realizing his hands had been gripping the steering wheel a little too hard, Benny loosened up and held Janie's hand before driving off.

"What would you name this ferocious dog then?"

"Cherry, maybe."

Benny chuckled. "I think that name is meant for tinier, cuter dogs, Janie."

"Well, it's better than what papa came up with. He wanted to name it Benny." The comment caused Benny to burst out laughing. It wasn't that Mr. Reynolds disliked him. On the contrary, the man liked him a lot.

"Are you for real?"

"Yep," Janie continued with a serious face. "He said he couldn't trust anyone else but you to take care of the family, and so if he named the dog Benny, he figured he'd have double the luck."

"Ah, I can see it now. _Mama! Benny crapped on the flower bed again!_"

Janie finally began laughing. "I completely change my mind. Benny is much more preferable in comparison to Cherry."

"Anything you say, love. After three years of being yours, I've grown used to letting you get away with everything."

"I'm glad you remembered," Janie said contentedly. "Happy Anniversary, baby. I love you."

Benny spent the morning parked at the meadow with Janie before dropping her off at school. He had gone through a full day without seeing her and, quite honestly, he missed her. Of course, he wouldn't admit it to anybody. What kind of man would he be if he showed everyone how clingy _he_ was in the relationship? The thought was enough to make him laugh and cry.

As a senior, Benny had finished most of his required classes for graduation. He was taking his last year of English with the grouchy Mrs. Rose, Precalculus—which he wouldn't be able to survive without Janie's help, U.S. Government, Spanish III, and Gym. He didn't have to take any more science classes anymore, which was a shame because science was his forte, and so he used his last period to practice baseball.

Benny walked across the courtyard and enjoyed the cool breeze on that sunny afternoon. He thought about the upcoming events of the day, feeling a little overwhelmed by the excitement. Scouts would be at his baseball game and, afterwards, he would be celebrating his three year anniversary with Janie. He was feeling invincible at the moment.

Benny continued to daydream about the day when a loud bang caught his attention. He turned to the sound and found a girl running across the length of the courtyard. Despite her loose, unappealing gray dress, Benny could make out the shape of her frail figure. Her long, wavy dark brown hair blew in the wind as she picked up speed and continued running. Even from the far distance Benny was standing, he knew the girl was frantic.

Suddenly, another bang echoed across the courtyard. The cafeteria doors had slammed open as a couple of larger girls emerged and sprinted towards the frantic one. Benny instantly recognized them as Tracy Goodman and Felicia Cruz—two of the school's lady bullies, if you could call two despicable oppressors "ladies." Feeling obligated to help, Benny swung his bag over his shoulder and began running towards the girls. He had lost them temporarily as he entered the school's gymnasium, but when he heard a commotion from the girls' locker room, he stopped in his tracks. Benny contemplated on whether to get help from a teacher or not, but the cries for help made it impossible for him to turn away.

Throwing all forms of etiquette out the window, Benny dropped his bag and stormed into the room. At first, he was greeted by dimness and long rows of gray metal lockers. The steam from the shower room had yet to completely condense, and the smell of harsh cleansers filled the air. In a way, Benny felt an atmosphere of foreboding around him, as if he were being warned to turn away. But another cry for help from the far side of the room kept him from leaving.

Benny quickly ran down the row of lockers, hearing the taunting voices of Tracy and Felicia. It was when he had finally found them that his bravado suddenly faded, and he stayed rooted to his spot.

"Get up, you little bitch," Tracy ordered as she grabbed the crying girl's hair from the roots and pulled her up. From under the shadows, the girls were barely visible to Benny, who slowly began walking forward.

"I said I was sorry, you toad!" The girl cried before receiving a sharp slap to the face.

"Sorry isn't good enough," Felicia said before throwing another slap. "You're new to this school, so we'll give you some slack for today. How about you hand over that pretty bracelet on your wrist, and we'll call it even."

Silence filled the eerie rome. "I-I can't," the girl managed to say. "It was my mother's." The refusal earned her another slap.

"That's crap," Felicia spat. "You're a rich girl, aren't you? Buy yourself a new damn bracelet. Or better yet, buy yourself a new dress. You seriously are pathetic for an heiress."

"Just forget the bracelet and hold her," Tracy sighed in exasperation. "We can take it after I teach her a lesson."

Before the girl could register what was going on, Felicia had grabbed hold of her arms and kneed her to the floor. She stared up at Tracy, whose blonde hair had turned wild, and shut her eyes in preparation for what was to come.

It never came. A loud crash was heard as Benny threw himself onto Tracy's taller frame, stopping her from laying a fist on her victim. The impact caused the two of them to ram into the metal lockers and fall on the cold tiled floor.

Benny immediately rolled off of Tracy, who got up to face her attacker. But when she saw Benny standing in place, she gasped and shot her hands up to cover her mouth.

"Benny Rodriguez?" Felicia gave him a curious look-over. "What are you doing?"

"Let the girl go, Cruz."

Felicia scoffed as she continued to hold the girl. "As if! I don't give a damn if you're a neighborhood legend. I'm not bowing down to you."

Benny was hoping he could purposely use his reputation to his advantage. It would be a first, but something he wouldn't be ashamed of if it meant helping someone else. Luckily for him, Tracy finally spoke up.

"Let her go, Felicia." Benny stared at Tracy in disbelief as she began to walk away. "You should know by now that if people go against Rodriguez here, they'll have the whole school going against them."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Felicia exclaimed in irritation. "Since when have you been scared of what people thought? So what if the whole school decides to get back at us for going against their stupid baseball star? We can teach them all a lesson."

"Oh don't be stupid!" Tracy snapped at Felicia. "Just let the little rat go. Are you willing to make a scene over this rich girl?"

Felicia didn't answer, and Tracy took her silence as defeat. "I thought so. Now let her go so we can get out of here." Felicia hesitated at first, but released her hold on the girl before following Tracy. It was when they had both exited the room that Benny released a sigh of relief and walked towards the fragile girl. She sat on the floor with her legs tucked under her dress and her head limply hanging down.

"Hey," Benny said gently as he kneeled to her level. "Are you alright?"

The girl nodded her head. "Thank you for saving me again," she said softly before tipping her head up so their eyes could meet.

To Benny's complete astonishment, he found himself facing Madison Green—the same girl he had rescued the night before when she had fallen off a balcony! The coincidence was almost laughable, had she not been crying.

Suddenly remembering what had taken place, Benny took off his leather jacket and draped it over Maddy, who continued to look at him with admiring eyes. He helped her up, and the two of them exited the ominous room.


	5. Striking Out

**A Thousand Paper Cranes 2**  
By Delilah Anne Marie

_2009, March 11_

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 5: Striking Out**

Benny walked Maddy back to the empty courtyard and found a bench for them to sit on. He was tempted to ask her what she had done to make Tracy and Felicia so angry, but thought better than to probe into personal questions. They sat quietly for a while before she meekly thanked him again.

"It's alright, Maddy. I mean, it's not exactly part of my schedule to rescue people, but it really isn't a problem. It was my pleasure to help you." He flashed her a smile for reassurance, and she smiled back with equal optimism.

"I'm just amazed, that's all. You saved me twice now. I don't think anyone's ever shown me that much compassion."

Benny raised a quizzical brow. "What do you mean? You're Alford Green's daughter, aren't you? I mean, you're from a family of socialites. So doesn't that mean you're, you know, social?"

"Well, that's how I _should _be," she honestly replied. "But my step mother usually sends me away to an all girls' school in New York. And even there, I can't seem to find the courage to talk to people. It's miserable."

Benny nodded his head s he tried to understand her. If she claimed life was horrible, he wouldn't doubt her. Not when she had tried to jump off a balcony. She was shy, that was obvious. And she wasn't exactly pleasing to the eye—not that it mattered to Benny, but it definitely mattered in a world where vanity influenced the media, which then influenced the people. Still, he couldn't understand how she could be so easily pushed around. She was rich, yes, but she definitely did not seem like a snot—or so Benny thought.

"So, is that why you're here in public school? Because private school makes you miserable."

"My parents paid so much money to send me to a good institution, and I dropped out because the kids weren't treating me well. I'm sorry if it sounds selfish. I don't want to seem like your typical, spoiled rich girl."

Benny nodded his head. "No, it's alright. You were being deprived of friendship. Maybe even respect. Basic things that make life tolerable. I don't think you're being selfish at all."

Maddy looked at Benny in silence, looking as if she was ready to cry. "You're so kind to me," she whispered. "I've never met anyone like you before. Thank you."

"It's nothing," Benny smiled again. "You know, I think you might come to like it here in San Fernando high school. Aside from Tracy and Felicia, there really are a lot of decent people. I could introduce you to my friends! You want me to?"

Maddy nodded her head in eagerness, and Benny helped her stand up. The bell had rung just as they were walking, making Benny speed up his pace. He didn't want Janie waiting for him too long, as she had tennis practice to attend to.

"Stay here," Benny told Maddy when they had reached the honors building. She nodded her head as she stayed in place and continued to clutch onto Benny's jacket.

Benny ran up the stone steps knowing Janie would be coming out of English Composition. He sighed with the realization that he would have to run up to the third floor to pick her up before dragging her back down to meet Maddy. Luckily for him, though, he spotted Janie stepping out the entrance doors and walking towards him.

"Benny!" She yelled from atop the steps before being enveloped by Benny's arms. "What took you so long?"

"It's a lengthy story," he said before giving her a short kiss. "Are you feeling Christian-y today?"

"What?"

"I need your help. I met a girl."

Janie's eyes widened as his latter comment gave her a double meaning.

"No, I mean I saved a girl from Tracy and Felicia. I need your help in making her feel welcome. She's new to our school."

Janie breathed out in relief and nodded her head in understanding. "No problem. Friendly is my middle name!"

"Oh really? Because I thought it was _sexy_," Benny wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

"Baka ja nai."

"I don't understand that taka waka thing you're saying. Now let's go." Benny intertwined his fingers with Janie's and led her down the steps towards Maddy, whose disposition suddenly seemed repellant.

"Maddy," Benny said gently as he and Janie stopped in front of her. "This wonderful lady here is my childhood best friend and the love of my life, Janie Reynolds. Janie, this is Madison Green. But you can go ahead and call her Maddy. She's new to the school, so I figured I'd introduce her to people."

"It's nice to meet you," Janie said with an exquisite smile before offering her hand. Maddy hesitantly shook it before quickly stepping away again. She was obviously not comfortable with Janie, and Benny was aware of it."

"Janie is actually really well-known around the school," Benny said, hoping it would make Maddy feel relaxed. "She's a member of the student body as our president, so if you ever have any questions about the school or if you just need help getting around, Janie's your go-to girl."

"Is there anything you're particularly interested in?" Janie asked, hoping she could help out. "If you'd like, I can introduce you to my tennis team."

"Flying objects hate me," Maddy murmured as she shook her head. "I'm not too graceful, either."

"Well neither is Janie, but that doesn't keep her from dancing ballet," Benny mused. "What about the newspaper staff? Are you into writing?" Maddy shrugged her shoulders. She was definitely going to be an indecisive one, Janie thought.

"Well, it's worth a try. Would you like to meet my staff tomorrow during lunch?"

Maddy shrugged her shoulder again. Her disposition was turning haughtier by the minute, but it was hard to tell behind her meek voice. "I suppose so," she answered.

Janie and Benny looked at each other and smiled. "That sounds like a plan. And then maybe afterwards, I can introduce you to our other friends." Benny thought of Ham, Squints, Smalls, and Lexi. They'd definitely do more than a decent job of making her feel welcomed.

"Well, I'm going to leave you girls to your thing," Benny said, hoping Maddy would open up to Janie. "I have a baseball game to prep for. You two will be cheering for me together, yes?"

Janie nodded her head as she accepted his quick peck on the cheek. "Of course. I'll spend a couple of minutes with Maddy before going to tennis practice. I don't think Coach Faye would mind."

"Thanks Janie. I'll see you later. Maddy." Benny waved to the two girls and began walking away. They were an unlikely pair standing next to each other the way they did. Janie was the flower. Beautiful. Serene. Seemingly gracefully. Maddy, on the other hand, was the weed. A stark contrast to Janie's more classic stature. But like a weed, Benny hoped she would grow to be strong and tough. He hoped that with his and Janie's help, she could develop into a confident person.

Benny didn't know why it was that he wanted to help her so much. It was a complex he developed after he welcomed Scotty Smalls to his band of friends. Perhaps it was the fact that as a child, Benny was shy and timid. He didn't have very much friends, and he didn't have much to look forward to. But when Janie introduced him to baseball, it changed his life. He found his calling, and it certainly helped him develop some self-confidence. He only hoped the same for people like Maddy.

After Benny had left Maddy with Janie, hoping a little girl-time would make her feel a welcome, he went to the baseball field for practice. The team had worked harder than usual in preparation for their next big game against Sweetwater High School—their rival school. Of course, ever since Benny had made the varsity baseball team again in his junior year, Sweetwater had never won a single game against San Fernando High. In fact, Benny had never lost the team a single game, much less strike out when batting. It was for this reason that Benny was able to uphold his initial fame as a local baseball sensation—a feat he still couldn't quite adjust to.

"Rodriguez," Scott Phillips shouted as he entered the dugout. "Today's a big day. You nervous about all those scouts?"

"Not one bit," Benny said as he flashed one of his crooked grins. Throughout the years, he had learned to tolerate his former nemesis, who had grown to become one of Janie's good friends. Of course, tolerating was still a far cry from befriending, as Benny and Scott continued to have somewhat "friendly" disputes when possible.

"That's the spirit. Now, I know you probably won't have any problems out there—being the incredibly talented baseball god with the beautiful girlfriend, I mean—but I thought I'd just warn you about Sweetwater's new pitcher. I saw him when I went to one of their games last week and…phew! The kid knows how to throw a serious knuckle ball!"

"Thanks for the heads up. And the unnecessary flattery," Benny said, not feeling the least bit threatened. "But I think those summer games with you only sharpened his skills.

"Glad to be of some service," Scott replied as he gave a mock bow.

Benny only rolled his eyes like he often did when he was around Phillips. The kid was a complete tease.

"Third batter!" Coach Rose called out before Benny could think of something clever to say. In his freshman year, Benny had achieved the position of first batter, which required that he be the fastest on the team. Throughout the years, however, Coach Rose had dubbed him the best slugger on the team and immediately promoted him to third batter. Benny's new job was to help drive the base runners, which was fitting considering the fact that he had the highest batting average on the team.

Benny ran out of the dugout and approached the batter's box, causing the crowd to cheer and wave their banners. He waved at Janie, who sat at her usual spot above the dugout, and found Maddy standing next to her. He waved at Maddy as well, causing her to smile shyly.

"Here," Glover said as he handed Benny the bat. "Watch out for that pitcher. He's got—"

"A serious arm," Benny finished his sentence. "Yeah, I know. I've been warned." Benny took the bat from Glover and prepared himself to swing, keeping his eyes on the boy standing at the pitcher's mound. He had expected someone intimidating to be standing in front of him. Instead, he found himself facing a short, scrawny teenager with a uniform pants too long to be considered neat and a mouse-like face. If anything, he looked inexperienced. Maybe even clumsy. Still, Benny wasn't one to let his prejudgments affect his decisions, and he was going to treat the kid like any other opponent he's ever had.

Benny approached the batter's box, hearing the cheers grow louder as he went to set position. He watched as the pitcher prepared himself, and found that all the bases had not been filled. Apparently, all his team mates had been struck out.

Benny blocked out the sounds of cheering in his mind and concentrated on the weight of his bat and the ball pressed against the pitcher's chest. He eyed the ball, watching it as the pitcher stepped back and raised his leg. This was it. This was the pitch.

On a normal basis, Benny would watch the ball as if it were in slow motion. He'd usually be able to detect what kind of pitch was coming his way. Knuckle ball. Curve Ball. Fast Ball. Slurve Ball. The list went on. But when Benny let himself blink an eye, the ball was already soaring his way, and he barely had time to register a swing.

"Strike!" The umpire yelled. A slight tone of confusion tinted his voice.

The crowd immediately ceased their cheering, and the sound of silence filled the stands. Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez had just struck out for the first time in San Fernando baseball history. And in front of scouts. The latter truth was what caused Benny to freeze. Never mind the fact that he struck out for the first time in high school baseball. There were scouts for the Dodgers watching him! He knew that if he wanted to impress, he had to hit one of his homeruns.

After earning another strike, Benny was lucky enough to hit a homerun, giving his team their first point. The following innings weren't any better. Although Benny almost always managed to hit homeruns for his team, it wasn't quite enough to win. San Fernando High School lost to Sweetwater.

"Good job, kid," Benny said as he offered his hand to Sweetwater's star pitcher. "People weren't kidding when they said you had a good arm."

The kid threw Benny a nasty sneer, unwilling to accept Benny's hand for a shake. "You should have believed them then," he retorted before walking past Benny and snubbing off the rest of San Fernando's team.

Benny grudgingly walked towards the dugout where Coach Rose softly grabbed him by the shoulder. He surprisingly wasn't upset about the fact that his record streak had been broken, and by a snot-faced kid, no less. No, what made Benny want to scream out loud was the fact that scouts were watching him, and he messed up. He had always dreamed about this once in a life time opportunity, and he always dreamed of succeeding. The turn of events simply wasn't what he had dreamed of.

"Rodriguez," he said in a surprisingly soft voice that caught Benny off guard. Coach Rose, who always barked and always had something to say to make a kid's life miserable, looked as if he was struggling with his words. "I want you to know you did a good job, son."

"You don't have to say anything," Benny said as he tried to smile. "Scouts don't really look at whether a game is won or not anyway. It's all about skill, right?"

Coach Rose only sighed before returning the weak smile. "Mr. Green wants to see you in my office. Go to him."

Benny hurried off to the gymnasium across the field, hoping to avoid other comments of sympathy. If Coach Rose was able to crack his rough disposition, who knew what a nice man like Mr. Green would say.

He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"What was that, Rodriguez?" Mr. Green said in a cold voice once Benny had entered the office. He leaned against the side of Coach Rose's desk with his arms crossed in front of his chest and, as usual, he wore his crisp business suit.

"What do you mean?" Benny asked, a little confused at the man's sudden change of behavior.

"I'm not sure if you understood what I meant when I said scouts would be watching," Mr. Green said coolly as he began walking towards Benny. "But you looked pathetic out there!"

Benny continued to give him a blank look, unsure of what reaction to have.

"You think I'm doing you all these good favors out of charity? Well think again, kid. I've got two, very unimpressed scouts waiting for me right now. If anything, it looks as if they've found a candidate in that Sweetwater pitcher. Kiss pro baseball goodbye, _Jet,_" Mr. Green sneered as he pushed Benny out of the way and opened the door. "You've screwed us up."

And just before he could leave, Benny put his hand on the door, stopping Mr. Green from leaving. He had taken treatment like this before. He remembered the feeling of embarrassment and self-disappointment. But he wasn't going to take it, no matter how prominent his opponent was.

"I'm not some charity-case, Mr. Green. I can make a future for myself without you."

Mr. Green scoffed. "That's a laugh. Without me, you wouldn't have been able to come even _one _inch near a baseball scout! Do you have any idea what the statistics are for high school students being drafted into pro baseball? Cause let me tell you, kid, you don't have a chance."

Benny kept a serious face as he straightened his back and faced Mr. Green.

"Baseball isn't the only thing in life, Mr. Green. I have other dreams and a family who'll support me in whatever I do."

"So what are you going to do? Go to school? Get a bachelor's and a job with your mediocre grades? I've been there, Rodriguez. And if there's anything I've learned through the years, it's that you need money to get you places. College doesn't play for itself, kid. You're more likely to drive school buses or cut grass for living with your pathetical, middle-class family."

"I don't accept that kind of talk about my family," Benny said through clenched teeth.

"This is America," Mr. Green continued to sneer. "It's a free country, and I can say whatever the hell I want."

Benny laughed bitterly, amazed at how immature a grown man can be. "Yeah, well, that doesn't excuse you from being an asshole."

And then he left, proving to himself that he could stand up against a (so-called) great man.


	6. Three Year Anniversary

**A Thousand Paper Cranes 2**  
By Delilah Anne Marie

_2009, March 15_

**Author's Note:** This chapter has a slight **M rating**, although I honestly don't find it _too_ sexual. Either that or I'm just a freak. Hahahaha! I joke, I joke. Writing it was a lot more unbearable for me, as I found myself blushing all over the place. XD Anyway, just so that we have an understanding, this chapter is slightly **M rated! M rated! M rated! M rated! M rated!** Don't say I didn't warn you.

**PS:** I edited TPC 1 and crunched chapters together. I also made **VIDEOS!** Yay! It was fun. Check out my homepage for links to those videos.

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 6: Three Year Anniversary**

Benny was fuming when he left Coach Rose's office. His initial instinct about Mr. Green was right. On the outside, the man was as friendly as Ward Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver. But in reality, he was a complete phony with two faces and a black heart. You'd think a rich man could buy himself some manners, Benny mused as he stalked to the parking lot.

"Hey, stud," Janie greeted from the passenger side of his truck. "You still up for tonight?"

"Of course!" Benny said, glad that he had someone who knew how to instantly take his mind off his problems. "As if I'd pass up the chance to be spoiled."

"That's right, because we all know the strong and macho Benny 'The Jet' loves to be babied and pampered."

"Definitely," Benny said sarcastically as he got into the truck and planted a brief kiss on Janie's forehead. "He just loves to be cuddled. He loves to be kissed. He loves to have his hair played with and his belly rubbed. Isn't he just cute?"

Janie scrunched her nose. "I hate how you talk to yourself in third person."

"Benny doesn't do that!"

The two of them drove in comfortable silence to Benny's house. Their third year anniversary was on a school day, much to their dissatisfaction, and so the best they could do was to celebrate at home—or so Janie thought.

After Benny had dropped off Janie, he went home to shower and made a quick call to Mr. Reynolds, reminding him that he was planning on taking Janie out for dinner.

"I know you'll bring her home safe," Mr. Reynolds had said over the phone. "I trust you." Benny hung up knowing Mr. Reynolds had a double meaning to his words. _I trust you'll bring my daughter home safe…and a virgin._

Benny dressed himself in clean khaki slacks and a black and white striped polo over his undershirt. He folded his long sleeves to his elbows and snapped his silver watch to his wrist, noticing it was time to pick up Janie. He hurriedly grabbed his wallet and keys before saying goodbye to his parents and walking next door to the Reynolds' house.

Benny knocked on the door and waited before hearing squeals and commotions from inside the house.

"He's here! He's here!" Benny heard Marie screaming down the hall. She opened the door wide open and flashed him a smile, exposing the gap where her front two teeth should have been.

"Hiya, Benny!"

"Hi, Marie. You look excited. Is there a special occasion I should know about?"

Marie giggled. "Duh! Just because I'm seven doesn't mean I don't know what's going on."

"Oh really? And what do you think is going to happen today?"

Marie cupped her hands around her mouth as she tried to whisper. "I heard Lexi telling mama that you're going to ask Janie to marry you?"

Benny grinned. He had thought about proposing to Janie tonight, but the idea seemed too predictable.

"Mama and Papa think you're both too young," Marie continued to whisper. "But don't worry. I think eighteen is the best age to get married. Cause then you know the person _forever_ by then."

The comment caused Benny to laugh loudly. "Did you ask Lexi what she thought?"

"Yep. She said it doesn't matter what age you get married, cause only a fool would do something like that."

"That sounds like something Lexi would say."

Benny continued to smile at the little girl as she took his hand and dragged him into the house. His steps faltered, however, when he found himself facing the most beautiful vision he had ever seen.

"Hello, Benny," Janie said gently as she stepped onto the landing of the stair case. He looked at the top of the stairs where Lexi and Sue Reynolds stood making giggling and snickering noises. They had obviously come to tease him and Janie, who continued to stand shyly at the base of the stairs.

"I'm not too dressed up, am I?" Janie asked as she tugged on the short, white lacy fabric of her dollie dress. With matching bow pumps on her feet, pearl earrings, and her long dark locks left to hang down, she was a little more than dressed up. She made Benny feel completely underdressed, but that was the last thing on his mind as he tried to find the right words to say.

"No," he said a little breathlessly. "You look gorgeous. You look perfect." The comment got Lexi to start making gagging noises in the background.

"I guess that's our cue to leave," Benny said as he took Janie's hand and led her out the door. He made sure to wave at Mrs. Reynolds before patting Marie on the head and taking Janie out.

"Benny? Why's your car parked in front of the house?" Janie asked, a bit confused as to why he was opening the passenger side door. "I thought we were going to watch a movie at your house?"

Benny scoffed as he helped Janie into the truck. "As if! I'm going to treat my lovely girlfriend out to dinner on our anniversary. Not a lame movie night."

Benny got into the truck and started the engine, making sure to hold Janie's hand throughout the whole ride. He had kept the destination of their date a secret, hoping Janie wouldn't recognize the road he was taking.

After driving for about half-an-hour, Benny parked the car in an empty lot and turned off the engine.

"Where are we?" Janie asked as she looked out the window. They were in a quaint part of town. The streets were empty, and every shop looked as if they were already closing.

"It's a surprise," Benny repeated before flashing her a crooked grin. "I know it bugs you when you're not on top of things or when you're not on schedule or whatever, so I'll give you a vague outline of tonight. First, I'm going to take you to a fancy dinner where you won't have to pay a cent. No, no, don't argue with me on that one. I'm paying for you like a real man. Then, if we have time, I'm going to take you back to my place so we can watch a movie. How does that sound, love?"

Janie clasped her hands together and smiled. "That sounds great! Oh, Benny, I could kiss you for actually planning something like this."

"No one's stopping you."

Janie giggled lightly at his mischievousness before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly. She began to pull away when Benny deepened the kiss, tugging her body closer to his as he ran his hand down her back. He grasped her bottom briefly before releasing her lips, ending their short but heated kiss.

"A promise of what's to come, baby," Benny teased after he saw Janie's look of reluctance. "Just enjoy the night, okay?"

Janie nodded her head and jumped out of the car before Benny could open the door for her, and the two of them walked across the street towards a white-painted restaurant draped with roses and ivy. The sign at the top read "Pomodoro Trattoria."

"Italian?"

"Yep. It's a popular pizzeria."

"But it looks like it's closed," Janie said as she pointed at the "closed" sign in front of the window.

Benny continued to lead Janie up the steps and inside the restaurant. "Don't worry," he said as he tapped the bell in the front desk. "I pulled some strings."

"Of course you did."

Suddenly, a man dressed in black trousers, a clean white dress shirt, and a bow tie entered the lobby. Janie recognized him as…

"Zee? Zee Witherspoon?"

"That's my name, little lady. And a lucky little lady, I might add." Janie gave him a knowing look as she put two and two together. Benny had obviously gotten Zee to help him prepare dinner. She made a mental note to properly thank Zee herself.

"So, now that we all know each other, I'll be your waiter tonight. Please, let me show you to your seats." Benny held Janie's hand as they followed Zee to the other room. All the chairs had already been stacked upside down on the tables. All except for a small table for two in front of the stage.

Soft music suddenly began playing as Zee offered a chair for Janie. She took it gratefully and watched as he lit the two candle sticks in front of her and Benny before returning to the lobby. He came back in a few minutes with a large round tray and served them soup, followed by chicken fettuccini and stuffed pizza. Being the extreme food lovers that Benny and Janie were, however, they managed to scarf down all the food in record time, much to Zee's satisfaction.

At the moment, Benny and Janie stood intimately close together as they danced along to the soft, classical music being played in the background.

"So, a candle-lit dinner for two? It sounds like something out of a chick flick."

Benny continued to grin. He hadn't been able to stop since they got there. "Are you going to deduct points for unoriginality?"

"Au contraire. I ought to give you more just for being able to plan this all out when you're so notorious for procrastinating."

"Yeah, well, I'll admit that I had to get some help. Smalls came up with the idea, of course. And Ham and Squints were the one who told me Zee was working here."

"Ham. Smalls. Squints." Janie sighed heavily and sulked a bit. "I don't see much of them anymore. School's so hectic for me. How are they?"

"Busy. Squints can't even leave Wendy alone for a second. I can't even begin to mention how nauseating they are in public. I predict they'll have about seven kids one day."

"I say nine."

"Smalls, on the other hand, doesn't really take care of Johnnie. Rather, Johnnie's the one taking care of him."

"Ah, I know. I saw little Johnnie seeing Smalls off to school last week. What about Ham?"

"Ham's growing an afro."

Janie laughed a little before sobering up instantly. "Are you scared that we're all growing away from each other?"

Benny shook his head. "No. I like to think that we've already engraved a special part in each other's hearts. And I know I'll always have you, right?"

"That's true. You'll always have me, and I'll always have you. But what about after high school, Benny? You know there's a possibility that I'll be going to Berkeley. It's miles away from home."

"But there's a chance you might be going to the University of Southern California. That's only thirty-three minutes away from my college."

Janie looked at him sympathetically before moving her eyes to his shoulder. "I got my acceptance letter from Juilliard this morning."

"Juilliard? For ballet?" Benny asked as his face fell. "In New York?"

"Mmhmm. They're even offering me a scholarship, Benny. It's the only school that's willing to give me a full ride."

Benny nodded his head in understanding. Her parents had paid an extravagant amount of money sending their eldest daughter, Diane, to school out of state. He knew it wouldn't be a problem for them to pay Janie's tuition as well, but it would seriously put a dent in their wallets if they had to put all their daughters through college. And knowing the Reynolds', they were willing to go bankrupt just to make sure all four of their daughters became successful.

"You know I wouldn't leave so far from home unless I really had to, Benny. I just don't want my parents paying a cent for me to go to school. Especially when I don't want to go."

_Then stay_, Benny wanted to tell her. But he couldn't bring himself to do that. Even if he wanted her with him, he knew she deserved more than community college and a part-time job.

"Don't get me wrong," Janie continued. "I love ballet. I love writing for the school newspaper, too. But I just don't see myself having an occupation that deals with either of those hobbies. If anything, I feel reluctant about going to a university. I really don't know what I want to do, Benny."

_Which is why you should just marry me_, Benny wanted to tell her, too. He hoped that by proposing to her, she would have more options to play with. But mainly, he hoped it would make her happy rather than just adding another bothersome piece to her plate.

"Benny? Now would be a good time to say something." Benny looked at Janie again and noticed they had already stopped dancing. He tried to muster a smile, but found it hard to hide his gloom. He hated talking about post graduation plans. Especially when Janie talked about the distances that would soon be separating them.

"Let's go home," Benny said before gently kissing her forehead. "I kept you here longer than I should have. You're dad's probably camping out on the doorstep waiting for you." Benny took Janie's hand and led her to the lobby where Zee had fallen asleep. They woke him up and thanked him kindly before leaving the restaurant and going back to the truck.

It was a silent ride home. Benny knew it struck a chord in him when they got around to talking about college. It was one of the real reasons why he sometimes couldn't bring himself to propose. Yes, they were young. Everyone always made that point. But it's not as if he would get Janie to marry him right away. He wanted her to go to college first. Heck, even community college with him was enough. He just wanted to give her some kind of reassurance that he was always going to be hers, and that he was always going to try and be there for her, whether they still live next door to each other, or across the expanse of the United States. But mainly, he knew he wanted reassurance from her as well—that she was going to be his, and that she was always going to try and be there for him.

It had started raining, and lightning was sporadically illuminating the sky as Benny dropped off Janie at home. They kissed each other briefly before parting ways, knowing the night had been somewhat ruined by their post-graduation talk. Benny mentally beat himself up for letting his emotions wreck his anniversary with Janie. He tried not to let his dour mood get in the way, but the more he thought about colleges and universities and separations, the more he drowned himself in worry.

Unwilling to greet his parents tonight, Benny ran loudly up the stairs, hoping it was enough to let them know he was home. But judging by their shut bedroom door and the lack of sound in the house, Benny suspected they must have fallen asleep. He stepped into his dark room and locked the door behind him before unbuttoning his polo and collapsing on his bed, not even bothering to turn on the lights. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The day had started out amazingly well, and he was sorry it had to end the way it did. How someone could have so much bad luck in one day was beyond him.

Suddenly, a knock from his balcony door caught Benny's attention. He hurried to the glass doors, knowing full well who it was, and let Janie inside his bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Benny whispered sternly as lightning illuminated Janie's soaked figure. "It's pouring rain outside, Janie. You know you could have slipped and fallen? What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she ran her fingers through her wet hair. "It's just—I feel awful. I know you don't like talking about college, Benny, but I wanted to let you know that if I did leave home, it wouldn't be because I want something more than you. My parents just want to see me well off, you know, and it would really make them feel at ease if it looked like I knew what I wanted in life and…Oh God, I'm talking about this again, aren't I?"

Benny shook his head as he tried to chuckle. "It's alright, Janie. I really shouldn't have let it bother me. Especially tonight."

"No. I'm the one who shouldn't have brought it up to begin with. I'm really sorry, Benny."

"Again, it's okay, baby. You know I could never bring myself to really get mad at you. Now, is that what you almost broke your neck trying to come here for?" Janie nodded her head slowly as she kept her eyes on the floor. Another bold of lightning illuminated the room, letting Benny see Janie shiver from the damp coldness of her skin.

"Come on, Janie. I'll help you get across to your balcony so you can get into something warm. And then I'll help you go to sleep, okay?" Benny grabbed Janie's hand and stepped out into the balcony. The rain had soaked him in seconds, and he cringed thinking of how terrible it would have been had Janie slipped and fallen on her way to apologize. He kicked himself again in the head for letting his negative emotion ruin the night.

"Wait, Benny," Janie said as she remained rooted to the spot inside his room. Benny sighed and slipped back inside, shutting the glass door to keep the chill out. "There's something else I came here for. You promised me something."

Benny wracked his brain as he tried to think of what he had possibly said. There was nothing he could think of. And before he could ask her what promise he had made, she had lunged herself at him and pressed her mouth to his. At first, Benny was a bit too stunned to respond as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She slowly pulled away before bringing her lips close to his ear and whispering.

"A promise of what's to come. Will you give it to me?"

The words sunk in as Benny recalled his brief moment with Janie in his truck. He had planned to take her back to his house for a movie, hoping to shower her with hugs and kisses before ending the night. But he didn't expect her to take his words as anything but playful, and at the moment, he knew she was offering more than just a few intimate minutes alone.

Benny remained quiet as he stared into Janie's eyes. His silent answer came when he wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly bent forward to kiss her. She returned it with equal gentleness and, within seconds, they were holding each other tightly as their kiss deepened to an intense degree.

Some might call them fools for being so emotionally close to a single person, intent on never letting them go when there were "plenty of other fishes in the sea." But that didn't matter to them. Not when their problems were in the future and they surely had today. There were things they were unsure about, but at least they knew they wanted each other. They knew what made them happy, and they were blessed by receiving it.

"Benny," Janie whispered as she pulled her lips away and began leaving kisses along Benny's jaw line. "I love you. You have no idea how much you mean to me." Benny sighed in contentedness, her words of affection coursing through him and driving his need for her.

"I love you too, baby. I love you so damn much." Unable to wait for the return of her lips to his, he hurriedly ran his hands down her thighs to grasp her bottom, pulling her up against his hard length. The action caused her to jump up and straddle his waist, overwhelming the heat that was already building up through the coldness of their moist skin. He let her find his mouth again and returned her kisses with equal fervor, loving the feel of her tongue as he rigorously explored her mouth.

He was losing his senses again, realizing more than once that his balance was trembling from the turbulence of their passions. He released her lips again and carried her to his empty bed, laying her down gently before hovering over her to shed his polo and pull off his undershirt. Almost immediately, he pushed her dress up to her waist, allowing him to spread her legs and to rest his weight where she wanted it most. He found great satisfaction in the way her body arched closer to his, her pelvis rising to grind against him. As much as he wanted to delve himself inside of her, he didn't want to rush the moment. He wanted to memorize every part of her body. He wanted to relish every moment of his time with her. But within only a matter of minutes, the dress had been pulled over Janie's head and discarded onto the floor, followed by their remaining articles of clothing, and the two of them became swept up in an urgent need for each other's love.

The rolls of lightning and thunder refused to desist as the rain continued to heavily fall. Benny collapsed on top of Janie, who continued to wrap her arms and legs around him, his hardness still buried inside of her. He held her in an embrace, waiting for his ragged breathing to slow down. At the moment, he knew separating from her would be harder than if nothing had happened to them that night. But he couldn't bring himself to regret it. It was much too beautiful of a memory to feel repentant.

Benny turned his head from the crook of Janie's neck and kissed her cheek again. She turned her face towards him and rested her forehead on his, giving him a butterfly kiss in the process. Janie smiled, feeling overwhelmed at the emotions that making love evoked.

"I love you," Janie whispered lovingly as he gathered her tighter in his arms and kissed her lips again. "Thank you for giving me so much, darling."


	7. Homecoming

**A Thousand Paper Cranes 2**  
By Delilah Anne Marie

_2009, March 30_

**Author's Note:** TPC needs a new title that's actually relevant to the plot line. Suggestions would be nice. :]

**Summary:** Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.

**Chapter 7: Homecoming**

Despite the heavy rain and constant rolls of thunder and lightning, Benny and Janie managed to sleep soundly.

"Benny," Janie whispered as she lightly nudged his arm. "Benny, wake up. It's morning."

"Mmhmm," Benny mumbled as he kept his eyes shut, intent on keeping her in bed. "I'm sure it's a beautiful morning, Janie. Now sleep with me."

"Benny, you can't be sure that it's a beautiful morning when you haven't even opened your eyes yet. Wake up!" Unwilling to follow her orders just yet, Benny harshly pulled her body closer to his and held her firmly.

"Baby, any morning where I wake up next to you is beautiful. Now go back to sleep." Giggling at his stubbornness, Janie shut her eyes and followed his command. Unfortunately for them, they awoke an hour later to the shrill ringing of Benny's alarm clock with the realization that they had only minutes before Sue would be checking in on her daughters. Janie hastily slipped into Benny's discarded polo shirt from the night before and picked up her clothes, making sure not to miss an article. She then followed Benny, who helped her cross the balconies and spent a great deal of time saying goodbye to her.

"I'll see you in an hour," Janie giggled when Benny refused to release her from his arms. "It's not like you won't ever see me again."

"I know, I know," Benny said as he continued to press kisses down her neck. "I just can't stand another second to waste." Janie smiled in elation. She loved Benny's ardent tenderness, no matter how cheesy he could be. She loved him just the way he was.

Once they had finally found the will to part again, Benny returned to his. After showering and stuffing a bagel in his mouth, Benny picked up his bag and said goodbye to his parents before leaving the house to pick up Janie.

"So, you never got around to telling me what happened the night before yesterday," Janie said as they were driving to school. "Where'd you go?"

Benny explained the chain of events that followed on the day he met Mr. Green and the extravagant party he had been invited to. He even made sure to tell her about how he met Maddy, and how he had found her again on school campus. At the end of his story, Janie had smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm happy that you found the opportunity to meet scouts, Benny. But really, you didn't have to keep it a surprise for me."

"I know," Benny shrugged. "But I didn't want us to get our hopes up. Telling you would have made me want it more, because you would have been counting on me, right?"

"I suppose. But still, it was incredibly unfair for Mr. Green to turn sour on you just because those scouts preferred that Sweetwater pitcher."

"Yeah. The kid's a complete dirt-bag."

Silence hung in the air as Benny continued driving. Although Benny made it seem as if losing the baseball draft was nothing to him, it hurt more than it should have. He was slightly embarrassed at the way Mr. Green had easily shoved him to the side. He was also dismayed that he had lost the opportunity to do the occupation he wanted most, and was now back at square one. Community college with an undeclared major. But most importantly, he was sad. Had he been drafted into professional baseball—and the chances were slim, but not impossible—he could have started a stable life, and then maybe Janie would have considered marrying him.

Still, he had to try and look at the bright side. Mr. Green didn't deserve his attention, nor his respect anymore. Community college was much cheaper, and transferring was still an option. As for marriage, Janie had much bigger goals to tackle anyway, and he wanted her to be great, even if it wasn't in her heart. Yes, things had changed in the past couple of years. He was still "The Jet," but it was obvious now that he wouldn't be moving onto "bigger and better" things.

Benny and Janie made it to school on time and parted ways. The topic of their conversation had bothered him throughout most of the car ride, but by the time he had made it to homeroom, his mind had shifted to more pleasurable thoughts. More specifically, he fantasized about the events that occurred the other night.

Just when he thought he was recalling the way Janie had whispered his name over and over again, he groaned and released the breath he had unknowingly held. And that's when another voice caught his attention.

"Benny? Oh Benny? Hello? Are you alright? You're breathing seems kind of shallow."

Snapping out of his train of thoughts, Benny looked up and found himself facing Maddy Green's shy face.

"Ah, hey Maddy!" Benny greeted, slightly embarrassed at her observation. "I didn't realize you were in my homeroom class."

"Yeah, I had to change homerooms if I wanted to avoid Tracy and Felicia. I want to thank you again for what you did the other day."

Benny shook his head. "Think nothing of it. I'm glad I was of service. And if I didn't say it yesterday, I'll tell you now. You're a good kid, Maddy. You deserve to be treated with more respect."

Maddy smiled meekly and gave a nervous giggle as she dropped her head, causing her stringy locks to cover her face.

"Actually, there's another reason why I approached you," she said quietly. "I just wanted to know…if…well. I heard Homecoming is coming up in a couple of weeks. You probably have a date already. But just in case! I wanted to know if you could…if you could come with me."

Benny sat in place a little surprised. He didn't expect someone as timid and shy as Maddy to be making first moves. It even surprised him more that she would suddenly show interest in him. But that could be just an assumption.

"Oh, man, Maddy," Benny began as sympathetically as he could. "I honestly wouldn't mind taking you. Really. It's just that I've already asked Janie to go with me. She's my girlfriend, and so we go Homecoming together every year, you see."

Benny stood up and put his hands on Maddy's shoulders as a sign of comfort. She smiled through the crack of her hair, although Benny could tell she was forcing it. He felt awful for turning her down. Especially after the things he had told her about deserving something better.

"I'm really sorry, Maddy. But if it's any consolation, I would take you to Homecoming if Janie wasn't going." Okay, so it was a lie. But a white lie at that.

Maddy gently shrugged Benny's hands of her shoulders. "It's alright, Benny. I should have been more observant. Of course you'd want to go with your girlfriend. I was just hoping I could go with a friend, and you're the only one I know." Benny inwardly cringed, feeling guilty for Maddy's feeling of loneliness. He wanted to say more to comfort her, but she quickly turned away from him and walked back to her seat.

Benny walked down the crowded hall on his way to lunch. He saw Janie standing on a wooden ladder some ways off trying to hang banners for Homecoming. He watched in concern as she reached forward, afraid that she would tip over and fall. It was always like him to be paranoid when it came to Janie. But when he saw her figure immediately jerk forward and crash into the crowd below, he panicked and sprinted forward to the site of the accident.

"Janie!" Benny yelled as he approached her body sprawled next to the fallen ladder. "Janie, sweetie. Oh God, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Janie managed to groan as Benny gathered her in his arms. "I'm fine. I just need to stand—OUCH!" Janie collapsed again on the floor after Benny had tried to help her up. "Oh, my ankle. My ankle really hurts." Benny turned his attention to Janie's ankle, then to the ladder. Tied to the base of the ladder, however, was a suspicious looking plaited rope. He eyed the rope and noticed with distrust as it trailed down the west side of the hall and around the corner. This didn't seem like an accident, he thought doubtfully.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to be investigating. In one smooth move, Benny gathered Janie in his arms and carried her towards the nurse's office. She needed care first.

Nurse Carol suspected Janie had a sprained ankle and Mrs. Reynolds sent her to a doctor. Now, Benny sat next to Mrs. Reynolds in the hospital lobby as they received news of Janie's condition.

"She sprained her ankle, Sue," Mr. Palledorous said as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I assure you, it's quite common. She'll need to wear a brace for a week or two, of course, followed rehabilitation."

"Oh, I hope it won't affect her dancing. There won't be any lasting after-effects, will there, Martin? My daughter has a very important scholarship to Juilliard, you know?"

Mr. Palledourous smiled. "It's only a first degree ankle sprain, Sue. She'll be dancing ballet for Juilliard in no time." The comment caused Mrs. Reynolds to let out a sigh of relief. "You can see her now."

Benny stayed with Janie a little longer than Mrs. Reynolds had. It was when Janie's mother had finally left that Benny began to shower her with attention.

"Goodness! I'm not dying," Janie pointed out humorously inbetween Benny's brief kisses. "It's just a broken leg."

"I know, but you fell from a pretty high level, Janie. I think a sprained ankle is the luckiest situation you could get yourself into."

"Well don't sound so negative about it. I'm alright. But then again, I probably won't be able to go to Homecoming with you."

Benny chuckled at her feigned pout. "It's alright. We don't have to go to Homecoming this year. The school will have to go without their Homecoming King and Queen."

Janie rolled her eyes. "Please. We all know the only reason we get voted is because nobody wants the good-looking, popular people to get crowned."

"Really? I thought it was because we're an adorable couple."

"No. We're the likeable, tolerable couple. Benny, are you sure it's alright to be skipping Homecoming. It's the last one you'll have before graduation."

"It's totally alright, Janie," Benny assured her. "It wouldn't be a memorable experience without you. In fact, I actually got asked to the dance today. And if I turned it down then, I'll turn it down again."

Janie shot him a look of surprise. "Someone asked you to the dance? Not to sound overprotective or anything, but everyone knows we always go together. Who asked you to go so late into the school year?"

"Maddy did," Benny said with a little hesitation. "She said I was the only friend she really had, and so I guess she was only trying her luck."

Janie nodded her head in understanding. "You know, Benny, after what she's been through, I think it wouldn't hurt if you took her to Homecoming instead."

"Say what?" Benny asked a little perplexed.

"Just as friends, I mean. Come on, Benny! This would be the perfect opportunity for her to mingle."

"And…you're totally okay with it."

Janie sat back and sighed. "I'll admit that I would be a tiny, itsy bitsy jealous. But if it means helping her out, then I guess I'm fine with it. Besides, we can have our own Homecoming celebration whenever we want."

"Are you _sure_?" Benny asked, knowing full well she was sucking in her pride for the sake of a total stranger. "If I'm not mistaken, I remember you once told me to skip our dinner date so I could watch a movie with the guys."

"Yeah. I remember that. I was mad at you for, like, five years!"

"Janie, that was two years ago."

"Which means you've got three years left, buddy!" Benny burst into laughter. "Okay, I'm kidding. But honestly, you should consider asking Maddy to Homecoming. Show the girl a good time and introduce her to people."

Benny smiled in understanding and planted a kiss on Janie's forehead. "Thank you, baby. But I've already considered it."

"And?"

"And you'll find out soon. Gotta go! I'll come back tomorrow. That is, if I get caught sneaking in tonight."

Janie spent a week wearing her brace and, much to her relief, was recovering much faster than expected. She had been forced to stay at home, though, where she rushed through most of her class work and, out of boredom, reread her favorite books and even knitted a scarf. She only had visits from Benny to look forward to, and even a couple from Ham, Smalls, and Squints. Even so, she needed company during the day when everyone was at school, and so it was a complete relief when Evelyn Rodriguez dropped in with a basket of cookies and a vibrant expression.

"Hey there, little sister! How are you holding up?"

"Hi Evie. You coming to see me before your trip back to Berkeley?"

"Of course!" Evelyn said as she took a seat next to Janie on the bed. Evelyn had always been a sister figure to Janie. The older girl had done everything sisterly possible from lending her fashionable clothes to helping her with homework and projects. Perhaps it was Evelyn's influence that contributed to Janie's personality. Considered as the most beautiful girl in the neighborhood, Evelyn Rodriguez was an intelligent and liberated individual. She had been accepted to Harvard School of Law, but declined it to major in theater. If anything, Janie felt motivated to be just like Evie.

"Gosh, I feel really bad about what happened to you," Evelyn began frantically as she began digging through her large plastic bag. "And to think, I was complaining about being cut the other day by a Dorito!"

"It's really nothing, Evie. Doctor Palledorous said it's not the worst he's seen."

"Of course, of course. I just meant that it's horrible how someone could do that to you on purpose!"

Janie rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm guessing Benny told you his conspiracy theory? That someone pulled the ladder from under me?"

Evie shrugged her shoulders. "You can never be too careful, love. Now hold still while I do your hair."

"Excuse me?" Janie raised a quizzical brow.

"Uh, hello! Homecoming is tonight? With that ugly brace on your ankle, we're going to have to focus most of the attention on your head. Now, I have two dresses. One from Spiegel and one from Sears. But now that I think about it, I think the white strapless frilly frock with the ice blue lace and filmy nylon stole would go better with your ugly brace. It has a boned bodice, too, so it would go really nice with your slim waist. What do you think?"

Janie sat in silence as she tried to take in Evelyn's calm words. "I don't know if Benny told you this, Evie, but I'm not going to Homecoming with Benny. I told him to take someone else, and I'm assuming he's taking Maddy."

"Assuming?"

"Yeah. He wouldn't tell me who he was taking. He said it was a surprise, although I can't see why it would surprise me—oh no."

"Oh yes. Goodness. And I thought you were the school braniac. Now, as I was saying. Frilly frock from Spiegel, or crepe dress from Sears?"

Evelyn spent the next two hours preparing Janie's hair and makeup, much to Janie's reluctance. She repeatedly told Evelyn that she couldn't possibly go to the Homecoming dance with a recovering ankle, to which Evelyn shrugged her off and asked, "are you doubting my fashion abilities to make you look gorgeous regardless of that hideous brace?"

An hour later, Lexi came home to help out. Her job: keep Janie distracted.

"I don't know how you can stand Scott Phillips," Lexi began. "The guy only has two volumes. Loud and louder. I mean, you guys are talking in a room and his voice just keeps getting louder for no reason. He doesn't stop getting louder until the whole world can hear your conversation. Or until I have to yell from the next room for him to shut up. Then, he goes back to the quietest 'loud' volume and the vicious cycle starts all over again."

"You know, I think I can see why you and Benny get along so well when Scott comes over. You're both in league against him, huh? But then again, I wonder what Benny would think if he found out you have a slight crush on Scott."

Lexi held back a strangled gasp. "I do not! He's a stupid senior who can't carry a single intellectual conversation. No, he's stupid. I just hope he doesn't fail and end up in my graduating class. That stupid head."

Janie gave an amused smile at her stuttering sister. "Lexi, Scott has the seventh highest ranking in my class. The guy's a genius."

"What?" Lexi gasped again. "How do you know that? School rankings are personal, aren't they? If anyone should be stalking him, shouldn't it be me?"

Janie gave Evie a knowing glance before returning her attention to her magazine at hand. Lexi had successfully put Janie in a moderately good mood, and the three of them continued getting her ready for Benny's arrival.

Benny picked up Janie at dusk and, as always, had his breath taken away, much to Evie's satisfaction. He helped her slowly walk into his truck, and the two of them drove to the school gym where Homecoming was taking place. Almost immediately, the royal court was announced and, as predicted, Benny and Janie were crowned. At the moment, they stood in the middle of the gym floor, dancing to their first song as the crowd watched around them.

"God, I feel so self-conscious right now," Janie whispered as Benny slowly lead the dance. "I feel like everyone's making fun of this ridiculous brace. You're one sneaky fellow for planning this all out."

Benny gave a mischievous grin. "You didn't think I'd actually go to Homecoming with someone other than my girl, did you? Of course not! And don't feel self-conscious, because you look far from ridiculous. You look absolutely, incredibly, heart-stoppingly lovely."

"There's no such thing as 'stopping-ly,' Benny. I still feel awkward at all these stares."

Benny chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "Please, baby, don't ruin the mood," he whispered. "And if you'd like, I can always take you back home. Mom and dad are driving Evie back to Berkeley and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh really? And what do you suppose we do in that kind of situation," Janie responded coyly. Benny didn't have to answer. Instead, he gently pressed his lips to hers, a promise of what was to come. Every observer in the area seemed to watch the loving couple with something akin to hopefulness. Yes, Benny and Janie were the ideal couple, and although they were envied by some in the most thoughtful way possible, there was one silent observer who despised the scene unfolding before her. With one, disgusted look at the happy couple, Madison Green turned around and left the gymnasium. She hated the way Benny lovingly glanced at Janie, and she hated the way Janie would return the look with her large, doe-eyes. It made Madison want to go out and shoot a deer.

With an expensive, but over-sized pink crepe dress and stringy brown hair draping over her face, she looked frail and harmless as she stalked out the building and towards the school parking lot. Her expression, however, was anything but harmless, and she entered her limousine before throwing her purse down in vexation.

"Winston!" She barked once the driver had started the engine. "You better take me back home in record time! I don't give a damn about this speed limit crap you've got hanging over your license."

Winston the driver nervously murmured his respects and accelerated out of the parking spot, causing Maddy's purse to fall off its seat and onto the ground next to the plaited rope she had forgotten to discard.

**Ending Note: **Sorry for the choppy dialogues. This chapter is basically two crunched into one.

Ah, btw, I finally watched "The Sandlot 3" last week. I've got to admit, it wasn't as good as the first one (although I think everyone already agrees that the original is GOLD), but it had its moments. Here are my favorite lines:

Sandlot Boy: _Who's the greatest baseball player of all time?_

Tommy "Santa" Santorelli: _I AM!_

Sandlot Boy: _Well I wouldn't care if you were Steve Garvey. It's Babe Ruth!_

Tommy "Santa" Santorelli: _NO! It's Santa!_

Tommy "Santa" Santorelli: _Where's my PDA?_

Officer Pork Chop: _You're what?_

Tommy "Santa" Santorelli: _My BlackBerry?_

*Officer Pork Chop looks around and grabs a flavored snowball from Two Ton.

Two Ton: _Hey!_ _That's not black berry! It's strawberry-banana!_

It was a decent movie, although I wasn't too pleased with how they said Benny only got as far as he could because he could run fast. Pft…Benny was a great baseball player! Right girls?

Lastly, I added a new piece in chapter 8 of Thousand Paper Cranes (which really needs a better, more relevant title). It involves the game Spin the Bottle and was added in an attempt to make things mushier. :]


End file.
